


Talk to Me

by AMidnightDreary



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, But not actually deaf character because Loki's an asshole, Deaf Character, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Human Loki (Marvel), Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sign Language, Sweet Tony Stark, Unspecified Setting, Warning: Loki (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:47:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28096407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMidnightDreary/pseuds/AMidnightDreary
Summary: Loki's been pretending he's deaf. It kind of backfires, but in a good way.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 32
Kudos: 305





	Talk to Me

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a tumblr post, written in like thirty minutes. Have mercy.

After months of doing it, acting like Loki can't hear anything has become second nature. He's always been good at ignoring people and also he can be exceptionally stubborn and dedicated when he wants to be, so by now it's easy to react only when he can see that somebody is talking (or signing) to him, or when they tap his shoulder to get his attention. And honestly, he's gotten rather fond of it. It's just  _ nice _ that he doesn't have to talk to people all the time. Of course, when he first moved to New York, he didn't expect it to go on for this long, and of course it's been difficult now and then - especially since one Anthony Edward Stark has become what Loki can unironically call the best friend he has ever had, and the most wonderful person he has ever met. But  _ hard _ does not mean  _ impossible to do, _ and he never slipped up.

Until now.

His hands froze in the middle of the movement, and he's looking down at the kitchen counter, at the vegetables he's supposed to be chopping, and his head is just. Absolutely blank. He didn't hear that correctly. He  _ didn't. _

"I know it's not… fair, exactly. Saying it to you like this. But -"

Anthony stops abruptly. He doesn't seem to have noticed yet that Loki has stopped chopping. He's sitting at the table behind Loki - he's not allowed to help with dinner because while he is a genius with cars, but a complete disaster in the kitchen. His voice was already quiet and tentative when he started talking, and even more so now that he actually said what he wanted to say.  _ I'm in love with you. _

In love.

"But I'm just too much of a coward to say it when you're looking," Anthony finally finishes his sentence, laughing quietly. "Or to sign it. I learned it, though. To sign it, I mean." He snorts. "Was the first thing I wanted to learn, really. God knows I was head over heels for you ten minutes after I first saw you."

Loki swallows thickly, and he slowly begins to move his hand again, cutting the carrots into pieces. Damn carrots.  _ I'm in love with you. _ Insane. Absolutely insane.

"But it's true," Anthony says. "Really. I lo-"

Again, Anthony stops. But this time it's because he's so busy staring at Loki that he seems to forget to keep speaking Because Loki turned around to stare at him in the first place, and now they're staring at each other and Loki knows that yes,  _ damn, _ he slipped up.

Anthony is frowning slightly. Watching Loki - oh, yes, that's wariness right there. Great. Lovely. Wonderful.

_ What? _ Anthony signs, and all of a sudden -

All of a sudden everything is awful. Because all of a sudden Loki feels  _ spectacularly _ bad. Not for the first time; he thought about just telling Anthony that he's not  _ actually _ deaf more than once, because Anthony is just the kind of person Loki does not want to have secrets from. But Loki was - yes, fine, he was scared. And he's scared now, too, he's  _ panicking, _ because Anthony must have noticed that Loki turned around like he reacted to something he  _ heard. _

Because Loki couldn't hear it  _ again _ without reacting to it.

And what now? If he tells Anthony everything, it's possible that Loki will lose him, and Loki  _ can't _ lose him. The thought alone fills him with dread.

_ Hey, _ Anthony signs, one of his brows raised now. He doesn't talk while he signs; he never does, because he's been trying so hard to sign  _ perfectly _ ever since the beginning, since he learned sign language so that they could talk.  _ What is it? _

Loki doesn't know what to do. His mind isn't any less blank than it was three minutes ago.

But then Anthony signs,  _ Talk to me, _ and Loki -

Well, he does.

"I'm not sure how to say this," he says, and Anthony's mouth falls open and stays open for several long seconds.

Well.

Loki swallows and puts down the knife. He clears his throat. "I know this must be quite the shock -"

"No," Anthony said. "No, wait. Hang on a second. You - you're deaf. And mute. You don't - you don't  _ speak,  _ what -"

"Anthony, please let me -"

"No, I said  _ hang on," _ Anthony cuts him off. He doesn't sound angry, just entirely confused. "You  _ can  _ speak. And you can hear."

"Yes," Loki says.

"Were you just -  _ pretending _ the whole time?"

"Yes," Loki says.

"Are you some kind of spy?"

"What? No. I -"

"Then  _ why -" _

"To see if I could," Loki interrupts, his voice tight. "It was - meant to be a prank, nothing more."

"That is," Anthony said flatly, "kind of a dickish move."

"I admit it got a little out of hand."

"You think?"

Loki clears his throat again, his gaze skittering away. Anthony is still staring at him as if he's never seen Loki before.

"Okay," Anthony says finally. "Okay. We're going to talk about this. In detail. And you're going to tell everyone you've been messing with them for ages, because even though I'm impressed as fuck right now, I'm also kinda pissed."

"I suppose that is fair," Loki says, although he really does not want to tell  _ anyone _ that he's been messing with them. "But, about what you said -"

"I thought you couldn't hear me!"

"And that changes something."

Anthony stares, and stares, and then he sighs. He shakes his head, runs a hand over his face. "No. It doesn't change anything. But. Shit, Loki, give me like five minutes to adjust, okay?"

"Okay," Loki says, and then he signs,  _ I'm in love with you, too. _

"You're the weirdest fucking asshole I've ever met," Anthony replies.

Loki likes to think that he means it fondly.

  
  



End file.
